mercy

In this short passage of Scripture, we get to look at sin from all four sides. There is sin as the devil sees it, a tool for death and destruction. There is sin from the human viewpoint as seen by the accusers. There is sin from the viewpoint of the one who committed the sin. Then there is sin from the viewpoint of Jesus, a wrong that demands forgiveness. The accusers had caught this woman in the very act of adultery, how this happened we are not told and we don’t need to know. Under the law, the woman was guilty and deserving of death. Jesus had come to change all of that. He was bringing a new way of looking at and treating the guilty party. From the reaction of the accusers when Jesus questioned them, we know that, at some point, all of them had transgressed the law. In Jesus’s way of thinking, regardless of what they had done, they were as worthy of death as the woman was. Under the law, there was big sin and little sin. Under grace, there is just sin, liars are lumped right in there with murderers. We may often find ourselves in the position of the accusers or in position of the woman who committed the sin. Jesus was using this situation to teach a two-fold lesson. First, He was teaching them the Golden Rule: “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. If we were caught in this situation, would we want others to show us mercy? Then we must show mercy. The second and most important lesson is that sin is forgivable and that is the road we should choose.To receive God’s forgiveness, we are required to forgive others of their sins.

God has an abundant supply of Love and Mercy. As we arise each morning and acknowledge Him as our Savior and Lord, His Spirit renews us and prepares us for the battles of the day. Immediately, satan attacks our minds filling them with fearful thoughts of what the day will bring, reminding us of all the things we have failed to accomplish in the past. The devil, the father of lies, begins to tell us that we will not be able to make it through the day without some sort of catastrophe. The Holy Spirit speaks peace, love, and joy, telling us to lean on Jesus and He will fight our battles for us. We must learn which voice to listen to and heed. Jesus said that His sheep know His voice, they follow Him and He gives them eternal life so that they will never perish. If we listen to His voice, we will learn to live in peace. He will restore all the things that satan has taken away from us and replace the evil with good. Let us learn to listen and live the abundant life that Jesus died to give us. Let us spend less time each day focused on the lies of the evil one and more time on the goodness of God. Those around us will see that and get a glimpse of the glory of God.

“The Gospel has come to you because it’s on its way to someone else.” – Anonymous

49 “The Lord will bring a distant nation against you from the end of the earth, and it will swoop down on you like a vulture. It is a nation whose language you do not understand,50 a fierce and heartless nation that shows no respect for the old and no pity for the young.— Deut 28:49, 50 NLT​

Deuteronomy 28 is probably best known for all the blessings that God promises if His people are obedient. If the Israelis obeyed God by keeping His laws and commandments, they would be the most blessed nation on earth. In this chapter, God also explains to them what will happen if they are disobedient. If they fail to keep His commandments and laws, they will be the most cursed nation on earth and will eventually not be a nation at all, but a scattered people. While the law was fulfilled when Jesus gave His life for us on the Cross and was resurrected, He still expects His people to be obedient. God’s commandments in the Old Testaments were not just suggestions and His commands to us to be holy even as He is holy and to love Him above everyone and everything and our neighbors as ourselves are not suggestions. He is the same God, yesterday, today and tomorrow, so we can be sure that if we are not obedient under the new covenant, the same curses will befall us. We may or may not be a “Christian” nation, but we are a nation with millions of Christians living here. We can make a difference if we spend time on our knees before a holy God and petition Him continuously for mercy and grace for our nation. Jesus gave us the example of the persistent widow (Luke 18:1-8). Let us follow that example in keeping on keeping on with our requests for our nation. God told Abraham that He would not destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, if He could find five righteous people there, let us pray that He will show us the same mercy.

17 Never stop praying. — 1 Thess. 5:17 NLT

“The Gospel has come to you because it’s on its way to someone else.” – Anonymous

6 We are all infected and impure with sin.When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind.7 Yet no one calls on your name or pleads with you for mercy. Therefore, you have turned away from us and turned us over to our sins. — Isaiah 64:6, 7 NLT

We were born in sin into a sinful world and as long as we live in this flesh, we will be affected by sin. In the flesh, we can do good deeds, but those good deeds will not get us into heaven. We can wash and clean the exterior but only the righteousness of Jesus Christ can cleanse the inside. Doing good deeds without Godly direction can be compared to painting a wooden house without repairing the rotten areas. It looks good to the world but soon the house will fall. When we look at our nation, there are still a lot of good things that we can observe but there are fewer and fewer God things. We have been blessed abundantly for so long that we have become comfortable and complacent in who we are. To worship means to honor and to honor requires obedience. When we aren’t obedient to God, we are putting ourselves in His place and trying to do His job. When we put other things above God and his commands, He cannot be Lord of our lives. Our God is a jealous God, He will be Lord of all or He will not be Lord at all. He has not and will not change. He does not negotiate nor bargain with us. But when we come to the end of the rope, if we reach out for His hand, He is always there to take our hand and carry us to safety. Let us examine our positions and agree with God. When we do, we will fall on our faces and plead for His forgiveness and mercy.

“The Gospel has come to you because it’s on its way to someone else.” – Anonymous

12 When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” 13 Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” — Matt. 9:12, 13 NLT

This statement by Jesus is in answer to the Pharisees who were complaining about Jesus and His disciples eating with sinners. Jesus had just called Matthew to come and follow Him. Matthew had invited Jesus and His disciples to his home to have dinner with him and some other tax collectors and disreputable sinners. The Pharisees had referred to the group as scum (verse 11).
Jesus knew that the Pharisees would not accept Him and His teachings because they thought they were righteous already. With whom do we spend our time outside the church building? Do we, as the disciples of Jesus, spend all of our time with other Christians or do we seek the lost and minister to them? Do we have a missionary mentality or is it “We four and no more”? Jesus was sent to seek and to save the lost. Because He did that, He was rejected, offended, persecuted and eventually hung on a cross. He commanded us to do the same and gave us the authority to do just that. When we do that, we stand the chance of being rejected, offended and criticized for “eating with scum”? Suffering these things puts us in the same group with Jesus and God is pleased with us. Which is better, to live a lifestyle that pleases God and lay up eternal rewards or to live a lifestyle that pleases men gaining worldly rewards but losing our own souls?

20 Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you.
21 For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps. — 1 Peter 2:20,21 NLT

“The Gospel has come to you because it’s on its way to someone else.” – Anonymous

6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. — Eph. 2:6-9 NIV

This is a familiar passage to most Christians, yet I wonder if we really grasp everything it says to us. It explains to us why God saved us and raised us up. It was not just for our benefit, though that would have been more than enough. He did it so He could show to us and the world the “incomparable riches of His grace”. The greatest expression of that grace was God allowing Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, to die on a cruel cross for our sins. It is that grace that has saved us, through faith. Not our faith, His faith, His gift to us. That is why we can be sure that our salvation is eternal. Thanks be to God that my salvation is not based on my faith, which is not always steadfast. It is based on His faith, which is steadfast and eternal. If it were based on my faith, I could be saved today and lost tomorrow. His faith is everlasting!

89 Your word, Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. 90 Your faithfulness continues through all generations; you established the earth, and it endures. — Psalm 119:89, 90

15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! — 2 Cor. 9:15

“The Gospel has come to you because it’s on its way to someone else.” – Anonymous

7 But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.”— Mark 16:7 N​KJV

Peter had boasted to Jesus that he would never deny Him. He was adamant that he would stand by Jesus no matter the situation or the cost.

35 But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.”And all the other disciples said the same. — Matt. 26:35 NIV (Emphasis mine)

We sometimes overlook the fact that they all ran away that night in the garden. Where the others went, we aren’t told, but John was with Jesus and Peter followed at a distance. We. like Peter, often think that we are stronger in our faith than we really are. If we tell Jesus we will do this or that, He will most often give us the opportunity to do exactly that. And, if we try to accomplish whatever “that” is in our own power, we, too, will fail. Peter denied Christ with his actions and his words. Most of the time, we deny Chirst with our inaction and lack of words. Whether we deny Him passively or actively, it is still denial. When I fail to speak to someone about their eternal destiny when the Holy Spirit urges me to do so, I have denied Jesus. And when the Spirit brings conviction, my heart is broken and I repent with remorse and bitter tears. But the conviction is not punishment or isolation from God, it is discipline and an invitation to come back to God. When those times come that I fail to speak out and I feel like Peter must have felt that night, I read this verse and put my name there instead of Peter’s. I make it personal and read it ; “go tell His people –and Wally– that He is still going before us and we will see Him”. Then I know that I am forgiven and Jesus wants to hold me and comfort me. My tears of remorse become tears of joy! My sadness becomes praise to the One who will never exclude me. Such wonderful, glorious, amazing grace and love encourages me to “be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power”. I am still on the team, Jesus has chosen me and I want to shout “Me, too!” He has chosen “Me, too”!

“The Gospel has come to you because it’s on its way to someone else.” – Anonymous